Now or Never
by humor my lips
Summary: Modern Persuasion "Once there was beauty here for me." Annabelle Elliot is definitely in a different place than she was 7 years ago. So what happens when her painful past comes back and threatens to destroy the life she's trying to rebuild? R & R
1. Northern Skies

Chapter 1: Northern Skies

Annabelle Elliot fidgeted in her chair nervously. She felt extremely uncomfortable in the fancy restaurant with its hired piano player and Egyptian-linen tablecloths. Although she used to dine at these kinds of places as if they were fast-food joints, times have changed dramatically for her, and she scolded herself as to why she would even agreed to have dinner here.

"Because she was your best friend," Annabelle thought to herself. "And she seemed really excited to introduce her fiancé to you."

Nonetheless, Annabelle didn't want to sit there by herself. She was surrounded by people who wore a new outfit everyday while she had to dig up a faded, plain black dress. It was one of the few mementos of her heiress past.

"Annabelle?" Annabelle looked up to see someone smiling brightly at her. Lana Musgrove was a beautiful young girl of twenty-five. She had all the upkeeps of a wealthy socialite from the expensive fabrics that clung to her thin body to the professional highlights in her long blonde hair.

Suddenly Annabelle felt shabbier than before compared to her friend but her insecurity turn to curiosity as she watched Lana row her wheelchair toward to the table. Annabelle didn't know what happened and worried for her friend but at the same time she was amazed how beautiful Lana had become over the years even with the wheelchair.

Annabelle bent down awkwardly to give her friend a hug and gave a big smile. "Lana, you look wonderful! How are you? I haven't seen you in forever. We need to catch up right now."

"I agree." Lana and Annabelle looked at each other for a bit before Lana frowned. "You want to know what happened to me, don't you?"

"Yes, I kind of do. But you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Lana reassured her that it was fine but that they should probably wait for Lana's fiancé to arrive first.

"When is he getting here?" Annabelle asked. She always enjoyed meeting people. You never know when you make a new friend.

"Oh, he should be here any minute now." And true enough, a minute later, a man came through the restaurant doors and walked over to Annabelle's table. He was tall and very handsome. His semi-casual clothes that consisted of dark wash jeans and a cashmere sweater didn't work well with the décor of the restaurant but the man's appearance as a whole dripped with loveliness.

Lana grabbed his hand and smiled, "Annabelle, I'd like to introduce you to my fiancé, Frederick Wentworth. Frederick, this is a very good friend of mine, Annabelle Elliot."

Annabelle was all in shock as she looked at the man and he too held the same expression. But Annabelle was quicker to recover. It would've been suspicious if she had kept up with her stare. She stood up, smoothing her slightly wrinkly dress, and stretched out her hand. "Hello, Richard, how do you do?"

Frederick didn't know what else to do but to reach forward also and take her hand. "Good. And you, Ellie?" Annabelle gave a weak smile. But once Annabelle's hand touched Frederick's, a whole flood of images rushed through her head and his: a kiss shared by two people who were both filled with an intense love; a girl draped in a white dress, longing for happiness; a crying girl, depressed with her life; an airplane flying over head; and a car accident that changed the lives of several people forever. They quickly let go as if they were electrocuted and sat down.

Lana was too busy gushing over the details of her upcoming nuptials to notice the over-familiarity of the greetings. In fact, if she had paid any attention at all, Lana would've witnessed a very peculiar spectacle. She was sure that her fiancé and friend had never met each other before. So why were they acting so strange?

But the two supposed strangers sat down quietly, neither looked the other in the eye, and tried to stay as composed as possible with much success. The food was ordered and Annabelle silently listened to Lana's excited plans for her wedding. At one point between talks of bridesmaid dresses and shades of peach for the flower arrangement, Annabelle excused herself from the table, calmly sprinting towards the restroom. There, locked in the luxurious one-person bathroom, she laid her head down on a plush sofa and cried. It had been seven years since she had last seen Frederick Wentworth.

* * *

**Author's Note: So, after months and months of writer's block, I've decided to write again. I don't know what I'm going to do with "Along the Way" because I just can't sit down and write it. This was just something I sent to a friend and I wanted to see what kind of reception it would get. So, review to let me know what you guys think! And I might just come back for good.**


	2. Burning Love

Chapter 2: Burning Love

The alarm clock blindingly read 8 o'clock as lyrics to a popular song streamed out of the annoying plastic box. Annabelle reached out from under her covers to turn off the music and stretched her body. After a few minutes of wandering around her bedroom, she went to take a shower, getting ready for another day's work. When she was dressed in her dull uniform, she assessed herself in the full-length mirror. The black pencil skirt and vest did nothing to suit her figure and neither did the white-collared shirt and black heels. But it was what she had to wear every day and she couldn't complain. A waitress by any standard could never complain about clothing options, even for a once wealthy heiress.

As she looked at herself in the mirror, she observed how much she had changed over the past couple of years. She had been a beautiful girl in her teenage years, but as time went by, the lines that etched her forehead deepened and there were unattractive creases that started to form around her cheeks whenever she smiled.

"Maybe I should stop smiling", she thought. She made some more odd expressions in the mirror before leaving her bedroom.

The Elliot residence was much smaller now compared to their old home. Standing from the kitchen, one would be no more than ten feet to the living and dining rooms which were connected. Sure it was a little cramp to what she and her family were used to, but if staying in this house meant that her family was not going to be cold, then so be it. And so this was Annabelle's personal philosophy. Family came before everything else. Even if that meant that Annabelle's life had to be put on hold.

Annabelle walked out to the living, surprised to see her mother sitting on the couch. "Mom, what are you doing up so early?" she asked. Her mother didn't answer. She was mindlessly staring at the TV. "Like a zombie", thought Annabelle. Her mother was like a zombie, always looking as if she had no life within her small frail body. When her mother ignored answering her question the second time around, Annabelle shrugged and walked over to the kitchen.

After she had fixed herself something to eat, Annabelle left for work. And that was how her morning usually started out. It was an endless cycle of waking up to an alarm clock, cold shoulders from her mother, and silently eating breakfast by herself. It was a cycle that Annabelle couldn't break out of. She didn't use to always to live like this, but ever since her father died, she was left with the burden of all of the responsibilities.

As Annabelle drove to work, she thought about the night before and her dinner with Lana Musgrove and her fiancé. Images of Frederick Wentworth flickered through her mind. She thought about him occasionally over the course of the past few years but seeing him again last night sent her brain into overload.

"_So, Lana, how did you and Frederick meet?" Annabelle asked. Their food have just been brought out and, according to proper standards, small talk was officially over._

"_You want to know about my car accident, don't you?" Lana replied. She was used to curious people like that. Why wouldn't you be curious about a paralyzed heiress? She had told the story about that fateful day so many times out loud and in her head that she knew the speech by heart. Still, the story always made her so happy when she got to the end._

"_Well, two years ago, I was home from college for winter break and I wanted to visit Papa at Uppercross. I had a friend drop me off at his building and surprised him. Papa was very happy to see me. He was so excited to show me around that eventually he introduced me to Frederick. _

_Frederick was an editor for the company and he was one of Papa's favorite employees. He was extremely handsome and very kind to me. I've always felt that it was 'love at first sight' for me. I wasn't sure about Frederick's feelings on the matter but I knew that he was the one. No matter how strange that may sound out loud. _

_In any case, Papa wanted to introduce me to a couple more people but he had to go to a meeting so he had to leave. He asked Frederick to take me home which made me so happy!"_

_At this point, Frederick excused himself, saying that he needed to check something in his car and left. Annabelle watched him walk away with a panged ache in her chest but she nonetheless turned her attentions back to Lana, asking her what had happened next._

"_Well, you know how the weather gets in New York. It is always too dangerous to drive anywhere and it was no different that day. Frederick and I really hit it off in his car, Oh! You should have seen us, Annabelle; we were laughing and talking as if we had known each other forever!_

_But one moment we were driving on the highway as if nothing would happen and then the next moment, Frederick and I were in a head-on collision with another car that had lost control because of the ice on the road. Next thing I knew, I woke up in the hospital with Frederick beside me. I tried to get up but couldn't. That was when Frederick told me that the crash paralyzed my legs. I would never be able to walk again."_

_When Lana finished, she and Annabelle sat there quietly, listening to the quiet chatter of the people around them. After a moment or two, Lana smiled brightly and said that she had already cried her fair share of tears and that she was already moving on with her life. _

_"After that, Frederick visited me every day that I was at the hospital and every day that I was at home. We fell in love and you could probably guessed what happened next," she finished saying._

Annabelle fell out of her trance and realized that she had already arrived at Plate, the restaurant where she worked. Although it didn't compare to the grandeur of the restaurant where she ate the night before, Annabelle still felt that Plate was definitely out of her budget if she ever decided to dine there.

The morning and lunch shifts were always the best times of day to work as a waitress. It was busy enough to keep her from becoming bored but it was also quiet enough to keep Annabelle from stressing out and allowed her time to process her life or at least her bills.

Annabelle walked into the kitchen of Plate with a big smile plastered on her face. The people who worked there loved Annabelle. To them, she had a kind soul who always wanted to help and would do everything in her power to please others. The cooks, especially, were fiercely protective of her. They had known her at Plate the longest and they treated her like family.

"Morning, you guys," Annabelle said. They all gave her an equally warm greeting. Annabelle then went to the counter and grabbed a small apron, strapping it around her waist. She walked out of the double metals doors and greeted her first customers of the day, asking if there was anything that she was able to get for them while they looked at the menus.

* * *

Seven years ago, Annabelle Elliot was the second daughter of a baronet. Now baronetcy may not mean anything in America but to the Elliot family and New York City's high society, it meant everything. Or at least it meant something to Annabelle's father, Sir Scott Elliot. His only motto had always been "Class and looks are everything!" But the family would understand in the later years of their lives that social hierarchy and appearance was in fact not everything.

Sir Scott Elliot was a handsome man in his younger days. And as he grew older, he was very much impressed at how much his looks stayed handsome. He was very proud of his title of a baronet. To him, he (and in relation to him, his family) must be respected wherever he goes. And with the title, there also was money. His family was wealthy, of course. He lived on a healthy trust fund of which he invested all in the stock market in the high hopes that he would become richer and able to spend lavishly for the rest of his life.

At the ripe age of thirty, when socializing with playmates was getting old, Sir Scott married Elisa Chambers. She was the most beautiful angel that he had ever seen. He pictured them having beautiful children of whom he could be proud to be seen around with. She didn't have a title like he did but she was not poor either and he respected her for that.

But her marriage with Sir Scott had put a horrible strain on the Chamber family. Elisa's parents did not trust Scott's intentions of marriage, and persuaded her to leave him. But she was madly in love with her fiancé and was determined to be with him. Becoming Lady Elisa Elliot gave her more wealth, but in turn, she was cut off of her own trust fund, and relations with her family became nonexistent.

Now the Sir and Lady Elliot, in the twenty five years of their marriage, produced three very different daughters: Beth, Annabelle, and Meredith. All three were very beautiful, though Sir Scott favored Beth above all. The eldest was certainly a force to be reckoned with. She was her father's daughter, and it was amazing how the two of them did not spend the family into poverty. Beth was certainly a vain and selfish girl like her father, and at the age of thirty, she had yet to meet anybody that had met her standards. It really was a shame. If she had married earlier, maybe more than one person would have suffered less.

The youngest, Meredith, was on the other end of the spectrum from her eldest sister. She was tiresome in her complaints and lived in her own world full of delusions. She was also very dependent on her family for support and advice, especially Annabelle's. Although Elisa tried to be a great mother (or even an okay mother), Meredith had always felt that Annabelle should hold the burden of a mother that heard her daughter's pains with compassion. And that burden became the basis of Meredith's frequent visits to Plate to see her elder sister.

* * *

"Hey, Annabelle!" Meredith popped out of nowhere, scaring her sister half to death. "I need you to do something for me."

"Goodness gracious, Mere. You could've given me a heart attack," Annabelle breathed, clutching her chest. She seated her sister at an empty table and asked if she should go get them some drinks. "Is George here? Should I get him something too?"

George Musgrove was a kind-hearted man at the age of twenty-eight. He had made a good name and fortune for himself as the heir to a respectable real estate agency and lives in a nice well-sized home on the outskirts of the populous city.

He and Meredith were married just five-years earlier and already they were the fortunate parents of twin boys. And while children were the living joys of George's life, the constant screaming and whining of kids did not suit Meredith's own temperament of screaming and whining and found solace in frequently asking her sister for help.

Annabelle loved her nephews to bits. In them, she saw the possibility of what her own child could have been. But what had happened was all in the past now. There was no point worrying about these kinds of issues.

"George, how have you been?" Annabelle smiled as she placed down the drinks and gave her brother-in-law a big hug.

"Good, very good. You know, the kids—"

"George, this is _not_ the time for chit chat. This is a real emergency!" Meredith interjected.

"Honey, to you, everything is an emergency," George gave a hearty laugh but even he could sense his wife's displeasure. He fell quiet and sat down beside Meredith, grabbing and interlocking his hand with hers.

Annabelle watched this with a small smile on her face. She was glad that her sister was so loved by her husband, even if she didn't like seeing George so whipped. She gave her head a shake and sat down opposite the couple and asked how she could help them.

"Well," Meredith started, "as you know, the Musgrove's, George's family, have a house in the Hamptons and they've invited us to spend the summer with them. You also know how uncomfortable I can get when I'm around my in-laws."

"Yeah, only because you make yourself scared of them," George remarked.

Meredith shot him a cold look that read "Not now, dear. We will talk about this in the car." And she continued with, "So my favor is to ask you to come with us to visit the Musgrove's, they would want to see you again and I definitely want you to be there by my side."

"But, Mere, surely you see the problems in this favor. I can't just leave my job for the whole summer. Who will pay the bills? Who will take care of Mom?" Annabelle asked with a tone of concern in her voice.

"Annabelle, you've worked here for seven year and not once (and I repeat, not once) have you requested a day off. I'm sure the manager will have no problem in letting you take two or three months off." This was true. Annabelle's coworkers have been urging her to take some time off to enjoy herself. They pitied the girl who worked so hard for an undeserving family and wanted to see her genuinely happy. "The bills will get paid, I promise. Your vacation would probably be paid anyway; you don't have to worry about a thing."

"You make it sound so easy, Mere. But who will take care of Mom then?" Annabelle was still unsure about the whole idea of her spending a few months away from her unhealthy and zombie-like mother. She was always Annabelle's biggest worry.

"Oh, I'm sure Beth could take care of her. You know that Mom would be happier with Beth anyway and George here will make sure that things will be well settled and that Mom does not die in the meantime. Now would you please just give in and come with me to the Hamptons? Please! Please! Please!" Meredith pleaded and then she added, "And you never know, maybe you'll be able to meet somebody to your liking."

Annabelle was crazy. She was also a big pushover. There was no saying 'no' to her little sister, and before neither one of them knew it, Annabelle agreed to take the long-deserved vacation. It wasn't until she got home from work that she remembered that Lana Musgrove, George's little sister, would probably be there. And with her, her new fiancé.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone! I'm so happy to update again. I got the feeling that I should continue with this story (although I only got this impression from two reviewers...) so I'm continuing it! I hope you like this chapter. It's hard for me to write like this because I haven't done it in SUCH a long time! Anyways, I guess this is where I ask you guys to review since I love them so much. It gives me such great motivations to keep writing. :)**


	3. Let's Do Things We Normally Do

Chapter 3: Let's Do the Things We Normally Do

The sunlight shining through the blinds was what woke Frederick up that morning. He cursed whoever allowed the light to enter as he slowly turned his pillow upon his head. There he lay, slowly dozing back into a deep sleep.

_Moonlight was a trendy nightclub that was known for the insane amount of paparazzi hovering outside the entrance, hoping to catch snapshots of celebrities making a spectacle of themselves. Years ago, Frederick worked here as a bartender, trying to make some extra income to support his meager lower-class life. And It was also here that Frederick first laid his eyes on Annabelle Elliot._

_"Can I help you, Miss?" He asked her on that first night. She was just some young girl who had been sitting at the bar alone. He had been watching her for quite some time because there was something oddly alluring about her. She was very pretty but so were many of the women in the club that night. Frederick couldn't quite find the reasons why he paid her more attention than usual._

_"Oh, umm…Do you think I can have a Long Island Iced Tea?" she said, spouting out the first alcoholic drink that popped into her head._

_Frederick laughed, "Not unless you can show me a valid ID, stating that it's legal for you to even be here right now." He watched her mouth frowned as she ordered a soda. He left her alone after that as he turned to attend to the other customers. _

_When he got the chance to look back at the girl again, she had disappeared. He didn't think anything of it; she was just another underage heiress looking to score like every girl that came into Moonlight._

_When Frederick got off of his shift that night, one of his last duties before leaving was to take out the trash. He walked out to the back alleyway to the dumpsters and was proceeding to throw away the few black trash bags that he had in his hand when a sound caught him off guard._

"_You really shouldn't drink so much, Caitlin," a girl's voice said. "You know you don't handle alcohol very well." This girl "Caitlin" was regurgitating all of her innards out onto the side of the building and the sounds of the vomiting were making Frederick cringe._

_Frederick walked a little further down the alleyway, following the girl's voice. What he saw was the same girl from a few hours before with her deeply intoxicated friend lying on the ground with her head resting on the girl's lap. The girl looked up from her friend to see Frederick. At first she frowned at him, thinking that he might not be a good person, but with one quick look, she decided that he could be trusted and she gave him a relieved smile._

"_Do you mind calling a cab for us, please?" she asked, watching his reaction with careful eyes._

"_Umm…sure," he stuttered. He left to make the call and came back with a few blankets. "Here." He handed the girl the blankets. "We keep them on hand for situations like these. It'll keep you guys warm until the cab arrives."_

_The girl took the blankets gratefully and wrapped all of them around her friend, leaving herself with none. Frederick saw this and took action. He bent down, grabbed one of the blankets covering the friend, and wrapped it around the girl's shoulders. But once Frederick's hands touched the girl's shoulders, a small jolt electrocuted him and the girl. They were both taken aback by the shock but before they could make a comment, a yellow taxi cab arrived at the end of the alleyway._

_

* * *

_

The obnoxious ring of a phone was what woke Frederick up for the second time that day. He stirred for a bit, groaning as he reached over to grab his cell phone off the nightstand.

"Hello?" Frederick answered groggily. He got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom.

"Hey! It's Lana. I was just wondering if you were up already."

"Yeah, I just got up. What's up?" He opened the big metal fridge to grab himself some breakfast.

"I just wanted to let you know that my brother and his family are coming to stay with my parents for the summer," Lana informed him. Frederick had never met Lana's older brother before; his fiancée rarely visited her brother, chalking it all up to not liking his wife.

"I've always wanted to meet George," Frederick said thoughtfully.

"George is fine enough but Meredith, his wife, is a nightmare. Trust me."

"What is so wrong with her anyway? I don't think you've ever told me."

"Oh, she's just a very unique character, that's all. She has my brother completely under her spell and she is so needy all the time. I don't know how George puts up with her," Lana ranted a little more while Frederick listened. That was how their relationship worked: one person listened while the other talked excessively.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Lana."

"Meredith did one thing right though," she continued, satisfied with his apology. "She managed to convince Annabelle to come with them too. You remember Annabelle Elliot, right? I'll have at least one girl I can stand to talk to."

"Annabelle is coming?" Frederick asked in shock. His ears had perked up at the mention of her name.

"Didn't I tell you? Annabelle is George's sister-in-law, Meredith's older sister." Lana was surprised that she had somehow forgotten to mention such a detail. After all, Frederick will soon become part of the family and he should know all of its members.

"Lana, I have a call on the other line. I'll talk to you later, okay?" Frederick said in a rushed hurry. But before his fiancée could give a replay, he had already hung up on her.

* * *

Frederick quickly climbed up the steps to the attic of his two-story house in New Jersey. He stored a lot of memories in that attic and it had been a long time since he had revisited his past. His emotions led him to several shoeboxes that were stuffed secretly in the darkest corners of the cramped space.

He descended back down to the kitchen, nestling the boxes in his arms. He spilled the contents onto the marble island in the middle of the room and started running his hands through the various mementos that were stored safely in the attic.

He never expected to see Annabelle after all this time. He always assumed that when his plane took off for California that that was the last time he would ever see that beautiful face again. Frederick occasionally pained himself with thoughts of how small the world must have been to bring Annabelle back into his life in such circumstances.

He sat down, ready to immerse himself in recollections that he should have forgotten a long time ago. He picked up the first photograph, a picture of Moonlight on his first day on the job, and he was transported back to the night he first met Annabelle Elliot.

_Frederick helped the girl and her friend into the cab and got in himself. The girl gave directions to her friend's home and fell silent._

"_Thank you for doing this," she thanked him after a long pause. "I don't know how I could repay you for your kindness."_

"_I think, on some level, that it's part of my job description. Don't worry about it too much." They fell into another silence as the only sound that could be heard in the taxi was the friend's quiet snoring. "But I do have to ask you about something," he started to say. "Why do you come to places like Moonlight? You know that it's against the law."_

"_I don't that come often. It's just that Caitlin likes to escape her strict parents occasionally and she drags me to these nightclubs. I suppose she knew that if she took me, then whatever happens to her, she'd always get home safely." The girl gave Frederick a sheepish smile. She looked cuter with a smile on her face and he couldn't help but smile along with her._

"_I can see that she knew what she was doing." They fell into another fatal silence until the cab stopped at a very big mansion just outside New York City limits. _

"_This is your house?" he asked in astonishment. The front yard was perhaps bigger than the house which made the place all the more grand. Someone would have to be insanely wealthy to own such a place. And the owner's daughter just so happened to be sleeping her head off on the girl's lap._

"_No, this is Caitlin's house. I'm staying with her tonight," she replied, making her way out of the taxi with her friend in tow. "Thank you again for helping us." She turned to pay the driver to drive Frederick back into the city where he lived. But before the driver sped off, Frederick asked for the mysteriously beautiful girl's name. "Annabelle, Annabelle Elliot."_

_

* * *

_

**A/N: Hey, you guys! I hoped you enjoy this chapter. I enjoyed writing it very much and have already started the fourth chapter.**

**In case there was anybody who was wondering, I don't intend on following very closely to the events of the book. This story will be almost nothing you would expect. If I can execute this story well enough, I think that many of you would be very surprise to the turn out of the story but you wouldn't know unless you keep on reading. And I would know if you were reading unless you review!**

**So, please, drop by to tell me what you think of the story. I greatly appreciate any criticism you may have.**


	4. The Day Before The Day

Chapter 4: The Day before the Day

_It was starting to get really cold. Annabelle had been standing outside the exit of Moonlight for almost an hour now, waiting. She wanted to talk to that bartender again, hoping to return the blankets that he offered the other night._

_She shivered a little, watching her own breath transform into puffs of air. Annabelle was wondering how long she would continue to wait when the metal door to the back of the nightclub opened. The same man from before walked out, carrying trash bags in his hand._

_Annabelle walked over to him and tapped on his shoulders. He flinched violently, turning to see who had scared him._

"_Hi." Annabelle smiled nervously._

"_Oh, it's you. You scared me for a bit. Annabelle Elliot, right?"_

"_Sorry," she nodded as he spoke her name, taking the blankets off her shoulders and folding them neatly together. "I just wanted to return these blankets to you. They're not mine, I feel bad for keeping them."_

_He stood there giving her a puzzled look as she tried to hand him back the blankets. _

"_What's your name?" she asked, not wanting to keep referring to him as "the bartender from the other night" in her head._

"_Uh, Frederick Wentworth," he replied._

"_Frederick," she smiled sweetly and thanked him profusely, telling him that she could not think of a proper way to repay him for his help. _

_Frederick could only let out a few words, telling her that there was no need to repay him. He just did what she asked him to do._

"_Well, alright then," she said. "I guess I'll be leaving now. Thank you again."_

"_Wait!" Frederick called out, stopping Annabelle in her path. "Do you think you could go have coffee or something with me right now?"_

"_Sure. Yeah, I guess I could have something to drink."_

_x-x-x-x_

"_I love this place," Annabelle said, as she looked around the coffee shop that Frederick had taken her. "It's really warm and cozy."_

"_I'm glad you like it." Frederick brought over two cups of hot chocolate to their table. They were sitting next to a big glass window overlooking the streets. Loud honking noises from yellow taxi cabs rang past them. New York City never looked so much alive._

"_I come here very often. It's peaceful in the morning when everybody else is working." Annabelle only nodded, absorbing his every word. "So, how's your friend?"_

"_You mean Caitlin? She's fine. Thank you for asking. She got sicker when we got into her room but nothing a little pain killers and pine-sol wouldn't fix."_

"_Are you always so formal?" Frederick grinned._

"_What do you mean?" She raised her eyebrow._

"_I mean, you don't talk like other girls your age. I've not heard you utter the word 'like' since we started talking."_

"_Please, how young do you think I am?"_

"_Sixteen."_

_Annabelle let out a laugh. "And do you normally ask sixteen-year-olds out for a cup of hot chocolate? That's a little creepy, you know."_

"_It is creepy." Frederick replied, turning the thought over in his head. "But how old are you?"_

"_I'm nineteen, perfectly legal to sit here and talk to you." She shivered. The hot chocolate was keeping her fingers toasty but her jeans and light jacket were not enough to keep her entire body warm._

_Frederick grabbed the blankets that Annabelle had returned, reached over and wrapped it around her shoulders again. "But apparently too young to understand that a heavy coat is absolutely necessary during winter in New York."_

_Annabelle blushed violently. She really liked this Frederick. He was kind, handsome, and funny. Sure, her father wouldn't approve if she brought him home. But then again, when had parents ever approved of their daughter's boyfriends?_

"_Look, it's snowing!" she gasped. They both glanced out the window to watch heavy white snowflakes fall from the dark sky. Nobody else in the coffee shop or on the streets seemed to notice the precipitation but Annabelle and Frederick stayed silent together for the longest time, gazing at the flakes._

_

* * *

_

The Musgrove family, for most of the year, resided in a comfortable home outside of New York City. Mr. Musgrove, a real business man, wanted to live near the main headquarters of his highly-respected publishing company, Uppercross Inc. But in the summer, when living near a busy tourist area became too much, Mr. and Mrs. Musgrove and their younger daughter, Hayley, would travel to their home in the Hamptons.

This house, compared to its neighbors, was modest and comfortable. There were seven bedrooms instead of the average ten and the kitchen had only one walk-in pantry instead of two. But as modest as that may sound, this waterfront property was far from ordinary. Not only was the beautiful ocean at their disposal, the Musgroves also enjoyed many other accommodations such as a swimming pool and their own tennis court.

Annabelle arrived at her room with a sense of awe. Ecstatic, she quickly plopped onto her big bed and spread out, seeing how far she would have to stretch to reach the edges of the mattress; she couldn't. Her bedroom view at the Musgroves' was also to die for. The beach was a pristine blue and the sand was so white, it looked like a bed of snow.

She was happy that she was spending her summer in such a luxurious place. But even with all of her excitement, she couldn't help but constantly worry. She fretted the most over the well-being of her mother. She didn't know how well her older sister would be able to take care of her. Beth had a hard time taking care of herself as it was.

But, heartbroken, Annabelle left with her little sister anyway. Her mother had actually cracked a smile when Annabelle told her that she was spending the summer with the Musgroves. Meredith and George were also there when Annabelle broke the news. And while his wife may not see any mistreatment of her sister, George knew better. He remembered with great clarity the hardships that Annabelle had endured as she tried to keep the family together and alive.

There was a soft knock on the door. Annabelle opened it to find George smiling at her.

"Hi, George, come in." She stepped aside to allow him in.

"I just wanted to check to see if there was anything you were missing. Do you have enough bath towels?"

Annabelle laughed. "Yes, I have everything that I need. Thank you."

"Good, good." George pondered on what to say next. He looked around the room and decided to sit next to Annabelle on the white bed before he continued, "Listen, this is your vacation too. I want you to have the best time while you're here."

"George, you worry too much. I will have fun. But I am here for Meredith." She patted him on the back.

"Your mother and sisters. They don't do appreciate you as well as they should. You've done so much for them."

"George," Annabelle stopped him. "I've resigned to the fact that every Christmas I will give more than I receive, that my mother will always put the blame on me for father's death, and that I will always do whatever I can to help my sisters out. Those are the facts."

"But you deserve so much more than this life, Annabelle. I wish I could do more to—"

"You've done enough. If it weren't for you, I would never be able to pay the bills every month. If it weren't for you, my family would be living in the streets. I wouldn't even know where to begin to repay you. George, please, don't worry about me. I'm happy." She gave him a small hug.

"You're too good, you know." But before he could say any more than that, the sound of Meredith's worried voice carried its way up the stairs as she tried to look for her sister. George and Annabelle smiled at each other, getting up from the bed and walking out the door.

"Annabelle! Thank goodness you're here. I've been looking for you everywhere. Where have you been?" Meredith ambushed her sister on the stairs, hugging her as if she had just found her lost doll.

"What's the matter, Mere?"

"I can't find anything to wear!" Meredith pulled her sister down the stairs and into the bedroom that she and George were staying in. Clothes littered the bed as well as the floor. Mountains of accessories and makeup were piled on the dresser and shoes lay dangerously near the doorway. There was not a clearing in sight; you couldn't set foot into the room without stepping on something that wasn't designer brand.

"What are you talking about? Look at all these clothes and shoes you have. You have more than enough things to wear."

"But I've worn them all before. The Musgroves will think that my family has been living like middle-class citizens if they see me wearing the same dress twice!" Meredith slumped down on the floor, bursting into tears. Annabelle looked over at George who was standing behind her. He threw up his hands into the air and walked away, telling his wife that he was going to keep his family distracted before they come up to find Meredith like this.

"Oh, Mere, can't you see that your husband's family don't care about your clothes? They love you and they will not think any less of you if you were to wear the same outfits more than once."

"They love you more than me," Meredith mumbled through her tears. "They're always asking about you and how you're doing. And they always complain about how 'Annabelle doesn't visit [them] enough'. I hate it! Why does everybody have to love you more than me? I don't get it. I'm prettier and have better taste in clothes. Why can't I be as special as you are?"

"No, you have it all wrong. They definitely love you more. Just think, Meredith. Why would they talk so well of me in front of you? That's because you're my sister and they wouldn't want to be rude. They secretly don't like me at all. I bet you anything they praise you all the time when you're not here." Annabelle lifted up Meredith chin and said, "Now, smile for me, would you?"

And Meredith did, feeling better as Annabelle's comforting words took effects. "And," Annabelle continued, "if you still feel like you have nothing to wear next week, I'll tell George to take us to buy you some new clothes. How about that?"

Meredith's smile grew even bigger at her sister's suggestion, and she hugged Annabelle tightly. "Thank you!" she exclaimed. "You're the best sister ever."

* * *

"_So, are you going to tell me who this new guy is?" Caitlin asked her friend. Annabelle was spending the night over at Caitlin's house (as she often did) and the two girls were lying on the bed, staring at the white ceiling._

"_What new guy?"_

"_Oh, don't lie to me like that, Annabelle. I can see it in your face that you have a boyfriend. What's he like?"_

"_I'm not really sure if he's my boyfriend. I mean, we've only seen each other a couple of times…." But at the thought of Frederick as her boyfriend, Annabelle could feel her cheeks burning up._

"_A couple of time! That's more than enough time to know whether or not you're dating somebody," Caitlin gasped._

"_I don't know, Caitlin. Relationships are an important matter to me. And I don't want to say anything until I'm completely sure."_

"_This guy better be worth it then."_

_So Annabelle set off to find out if Frederick was indeed 'worth it'. She met up with him about a week later in Central Park._

"_What are we doing tonight, Richard?" she asked. Annabelle and Frederick both decided that their names were too much of a mouthful to say all the time. So, they came up with nicknames for each other instead. Personally, Annabelle liked calling him 'Richard'. It was her personal touch to his life._

"_You'll see. Come on." Frederick led her to the edges of vast park and pointed out a dark shadow that was stationed on the side of the road._

"_What is it?" Annabelle asked, inching closer to get a better look. "No…."_

"_Yeah, I thought this would be a relaxing way to spend the evening."_

_Time stood very still for horse-drawn carriages. The old-fashioned designs seemed as if the rides came straight out of the 19__th__ century. _

_Frederick helped Annabelle into the ride and once they got settled in, the carriage set off, slowly making its way around the park._

"_What do you think?"_

"_It's magical." Annabelle's voice held a mixture of disbelief and astonishment._

"_I was actually going for romantic. But magical is good enough." Frederick smiled, looking into Annabelle's eyes which shined a dark brown in the streetlights._

_She quickly looked down, rubbing her hands to distract herself. Frederick reached over and held her hand, fingers entwined. "I have to tell you something, Ellie. I like you, a lot. And I can't go home tonight without knowing whether or not you feel the same way."_

_Annabelle looked up and gave a small nod, whispering "Me too." Moving closer, Frederick leaned in as slowly as he possibly could. He was afraid that if he wasn't careful, the moment would be lost forever. Caressing her cheeks with his other hand, his lips lightly touched hers. _

_

* * *

_**A/N: So, chapter 4 is up! YAY! I've been working this chapter for a few days, finally getting enough inspiration. I'm sorry this update took so long. I hope you guys like the story so far.**

**Happy New Year's! And send me review please, I would love getting them. I don't even mind the bad reviews too. **

**Humor my lips.  
**


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